Pottsgrove School Board grants 2% raises despite low test scores

LOWER POTTSGROVE >> Should 15 mid-level administrators be getting a 2-percent raise when the most recent standardized testing showed all buildings failing and only one out of five making progress over last year?

That was the question school board member Bill Parker had Tuesday night when asked to vote on raises for a set of employees whose status is governed by Pennsylvania law Act 93.

As outlined in the meeting’s agenda, a group of principals, assistant principals and district-wide lower-level administrators were up for raises, only two of which are paid less than $100,000.

The highest salary, after the raises, is $143,124 and will go Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School Principal Yolanda Williams, who just received her doctorate.

“Three of the five buildings were in yellow in last year’s scores and this year they went down,” Parker said.

As The Mercury reported last month, only three of nine area school districts saw the majority of their buildings’ School Performance Profile scores rise over last year.

In Pottsgrove, all five schools scored below 70, which the Pennsylvania Department of Education considers adequate. And only Pottsgrove Middle School saw an improvement over last year’s score — from 51.5 to 61.3

It’s worth noting that the salary of Pottsgrove Middle School Principal Matt Boyer was not included in the most recent raises. He was hired in May.

The parameters of the School Performance Profile have changed over the last three years. Two years ago, the rigor of the test changed so dramatically that the state only released scores for high schools.

And more change is coming.

In releasing this year’s scores, Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera also announced that this will be the last year SPP scores will be used beyond their requirements under Act 82. Passed in 2012, the only portion of the SPP score that will remain is the part used for teacher evaluations.

In the 2018-19 school year, Pennsylvania plans to move to something called “The Future Ready Index.”

Superintendent William Shirk said a Pennsylvania law, Act 82, governs how salaries for employees such as this, who are not members of a union.

There are more goals, metrics and other measures contained in the formula that determines how those salaries are determined than just the latest School Performance Profile scores, said Shirk.

About the Author

Evan Brandt has worked for The Mercury since November 1997. His beat includes Pottstown, the surrounding townships and the Pottstown and Pottsgrove school districts, as well as other varied general topics like politics, the environment and education. Reach the author at ebrandt@pottsmerc.com
or follow Evan on Twitter: @PottstownNews.